Betfred Challenge Cup third round
7 February 2026 (7pm)
Eirias Stadium, Colwyn Bay
North Wales Crusaders 6-60 Leigh Leopards
Leopards moved smoothly into the last 16 of the Betfred Challenge Cup after an 11-try victory on the North Wales Coast.
Edwin Ipape, Josh Charnley and Lachlan Lam each scored two tries with Adam Cook, one of four debutants in the Leopards team, kicking seven goals.
Last season’s League One champions gave it a good go in a highly competitive first half, restricting the visitors to four tries. Former Castleford speedster Greg Eden napped a spectacular 70-metre interception try in reply.
But as the game went on Leopards became more dominant, ending a one-sided second half with two spectacular tries. Lam’s second, a sprint from halfway after Ipape’s burst and finely judged pass, and Andrew Badrock’s individual effort, after weaving his way through a host of defenders were both top-drawer efforts.
That put a gloss on a highly satisfactory outing before the start of the Super League campaign against Leeds Rhinos at the Leopards Den next Friday.
Cook’s halfback partnership with Lam will take time to fully tune but the signs are there it will prove highly profitable as the season progresses.
Jacob Alick-Wiencke, with a debut try, Innes Senior and Ryan Brown also enjoyed big minutes as they earned Leopards’ heritage numbers.
More than 1,500 Leythers, many of whom enjoyed an afternoon in Colwyn Bay’s many watering holes, boosted to crowd to 1,899, a record attendance for Crusaders at Stadium Eirias.
In perfect weather conditions, mild, no wind, on a fast 3g pitch with excellent floodlights this was a good PR exercise for Wales’s only professional RL team. On this evidence Crusaders should enjoy a good season.
The draw for the fourth round takes place live on BBC Manchester on Monday (6:40pm).,
Crusaders
Lloyd Roby; Greg Eden, Jayden Hatton, Jake Spedding, Luke Forber; Junior Westwood, Jordan Gibson; Mark Ioane, Josh Eaves, Chris Barratt, Brad England, Cole Oakley, Danny Addy
Bench:
Joe Baldwin, Ashton Robinson, Anthony Walker, Pat Moran. 18th man: Thomas Bridge (not used)
Try:
Eden (29)
Goals:
Gibson 1/ 1
Leopards
Bailey Hodgson; Josh Charnley, Keanan Brand, Tesi Niu, Innes Senior; Adam Cook, Lachlan Lam; Owen Trout, Edwin Ipape, Robbie Mulhern, Frankie Halton, Jacob Alick-Wiencke, Jack Hughes
Bench:
Nathan Wilde, Ryan Brown, Andrew Badrock, Gareth O’Brien. 18th man: Ben McNamara (not used)
Tries:
Trout (12), Ipape (17, 45), Alick-Wiencke (25), Charnley (38, 73), Brand (54), Halton (65), Lam (71, 76), Badrock (79)
Goals:
Cook 7/ 9, O’Brien 1/ 2
Referee: James Vella; Touch-judges: Matty Lynn & Alan Billington; M Com: Peter Smith; Reserve referee: S Harrison; Timekeeper; Peter Taberner
Penalty count: 8-4
GLDO: 1-0
Scoring sequence: 0-6, 0-12, 0-18, 6-18, 6-22 (ht) 6-28, 6-34, 6-40, 6-44, 6-50, 6-54, 6-60
Attendance: 1,899 (club record)
Leopards’ debuts:
Innes Senior (HN#1574)
Adam Cook (HN#1575)
Jacob Alick-Wiencke (HN#1576)
Ryan Brown (HN#1577)
